Atwood Stadium to become part of campus

City of Flint, Kettering University reach agreement to keep Atwood Stadium open.

Kettering University and the city of Flint have reached an agreement on the framework under which the City of Flint will transfer ownership of Atwood Stadium to Kettering University.

The Atwood Stadium Authority, a volunteer unit of city government that previously oversaw the stadium, will be reconstituted as a fundraising organization working for Kettering University to raise money specifically for stadium upkeep, renovations and other costs.

Under the framework Atwood Stadium will become part of Kettering University’s campus. It will remain a venue available to host high school football games, the annual Atwood Stadium road race, boxing matches, concerts and other community events.

Atwood Stadium is a cultural icon at the heart of the University Corridor, the area along the Flint River stretching from McLaren Regional Medical Center and Kettering University, past Hurley Medical Center, to downtown Flint and the University of Michigan-Flint. The University Corridor Alliance includes Kettering, McLaren, UM-Flint and Hurley, institutions within the community who are partnering to create a walkable region that connects the area’s higher education, healthcare and community residents with the growing, vibrant downtown.

“As a longtime neighbor to Atwood Stadium, Kettering University has witnessed the legendary names in sports and entertainment who have performed at the stadium throughout its history,” said Kettering University President Robert McMahan. “We are also keenly aware of the importance a well-maintained Atwood Stadium has to the future viability of the University Corridor region. It makes sense for us to take this proactive role in the preservation of a cherished facility in Flint. Keeping institutions like Atwood Stadium viable is critical to ensuring the University Corridor becomes a safe, walkable connector for Kettering University, and the neighborhoods around us, to downtown Flint.”

Other Kettering University projects within the University Corridor include the renovation of a former convenience store at the corner of University and Chevrolet avenues into an Einstein Bros. Bagels and Flint Police Service Station, which was completed with the help of an investment from the C.S. Mott Foundation in March 2013. Other projects within the corridor that Kettering University has contributed to include construction of an outdoor learning facility adjacent to the Flint Children’s Museum, construction of the Innovation Center building on Bluff Street and construction of a new fraternity house for Sigma Alpha Epsilon on University Avenue. Members of the Kettering Community regularly participate in community cleanups in the area and have also helped with painting and cleanup of structures within the area.

“Our partnership with the city to help ensure Atwood Stadium continues to exist as an important community facility is another example of Kettering University’s ongoing commitment to this community,” McMahan said. “Our campus, our surrounding neighborhoods in the University Corridor and the city of Flint are growing and developing, signifying a bright future for this city and this region.”